Golden Rams capture Atlantic Region title

WEST GOSHEN – The West Chester women’s soccer team made sure that its final game ever played on South Campus Field on Sunday is going to be one of the biggest in program history.

The Golden Rams moved to within one win of an NCAA Final Four berth on Friday by blanking PSAC rival Slippery Rock, 1-0, to advance to the tournament quarterfinal, where they will face defending national champion St. Rose on Sunday. The men’s and women’s soccer programs will get a new stadium in 2013.

“The girls came with a lot of energy and really played consistently well throughout the entire game,” said WCU head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley. “I am absolutely thrilled for this team.”

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In the rubber match of the season series (it was the third meeting in 38 days), the Rams’ defense completely shut down the scorching hot PSAC champs to capture the NCAA Atlantic Region crown for the second time in three years.

“It just shows that this is a program that keeps progressing and growing,” said senior midfielder Jen Hutchinson, who registered the lone goal of the match.

“We talk about our goals at the beginning of the season and one of the goals was to accomplish this – and we did it,” Kempf Townsley added. “Even though we’ve had some tough losses, they taught us how to fight back and challenge. This group has such a competitive spirit.”

The toughest of them all came on Nov. 1, when Slippery Rock ousted listless WCU from the PSAC Tournament, handing the Rams their only home setback of the season. The rematch, however, was completely different, especially in the second half, where the Rams – and senior star Melissa McKeary -- were clearly dominant. McKeary missed the previous clash against the Rock with a concussion.

“We hit a low the last time we played them, but this is do-or-die so we’ve really come together. This is nice,” McKeary said.

“We had a whole new mindset heading in,” Hutchinson pointed out. “We pretended like we never played them before. We were just trying to keep up the pressure, but also be patient and wait for the right opportunity.”

That opportunity didn’t come until the final five minutes of regulation when Hutchinson and McKeary executed a flawless give-and-go that ended up in the Slippery Rock net. The ball went from Hutchinson’s foot, to McKeary’s foot, to Hutchinson’s head, to pay-dirt.

“We have this kind of connection, so when I saw her going to the net, I tried to put it on her head and she hit it in,” McKeary explained.

“I drew the defender out, laid it off to Melissa, and Betty Ann’s drilled into my head to ‘fill the lane,’ so that’s what I did,” Hutchinson recalled. “(McKeary) just placed it perfectly for me.”

It wound up being the game-winner, but it was a culmination of about 40 minutes of steady pressure. In the first minute of the second half, McKeary’s left-footed blast sailed just over the SRU crossbar, and from that point on, West Chester was in total command.

Midway through the half, McKeary took a pass from teammate Cara Deola and found the back of the net, but an offsides call disallowed the goal. The senior from River Vale, N.J., then had two more prime scoring chances over the ensuing five minutes, but was unable to beat the Rock’s Dana O’Neill, a first-team all-conference keeper.

“We had some great opportunities in the second half and you hope it’s just a matter of time,” Kempf Townsley said.

But as McKeary’s scoring chances continued to mount, Slippery Rock (14-6-3) began paying more and more attention to her, and that opened the door for Hutchinson.

“She occupies defenders and it frees it up for someone else,” Kempf Townsley agreed. “And she is very unselfish and will try to find a better option if it’s available.”

In the final 45 minutes of action, WCU earned five of the day’s six corner kicks, and had a 10-2 shots on goal advantage. It was 11-4 overall, and a lot of the credit goes to a defensive unit that has made big strides.

“Our defense was amazing, so we felt confident we were eventually going to score,” McKeary said.

“Defense has been a problem area all year long, but I think we found our mojo – the right combination of players we need back there – and they are playing very well together,” Kempf Townsley acknowledged. “And that was key to winning a game like this.”

It is the second regional title for West Chester under Kempf Townsley, but her teams have never advanced to the Final Four. The Rams did get there under her predecessor, Gerry Lucey, in 2006.

East Region champion St. Rose (19-2-2) is now the only foe that stands in the way. The Golden Knights edged Dowling, 1-0, on Friday to set up Sunday’s clash, set for noon at South Campus Field.